jajagappa

The cult (or shaman) summons a more powerful spirit and you learn the more powerful spell. The "effective" cost is equal to the # of points of the new spirit magic spell (e.g. Heal 3 costs 3x Heal 1), but the end effect as to what you can cast is Heal 3 (whether you think of it as replacing or stacking onto, the end result is the same). Yes, that could be done. Likely the cost/danger for the temple to bring in more powerful spirits is dangerous. But I would have no issue with a shaman finding one for a character.

I don't ever recall SIZ having any impact on movement, just in the calculation of the weapon SR (and I ran RQ3 10 years). If there was something there, I never noticed it. Correct.

Yes. The movement may be combined with readying a weapon (5 SR's), but it does not replace/remove the SIZ SR. Rather than breaking down all the components, it's easier to just think of your weapon SR + whatever time you need to either move or prepare the weapon. (Where weapon SR = SIZ SR + DEX SR + weapon SR).

Yes. Correct. Yes. Not restricted in this case to the cult you've initiated to. It's what any temple or shaman might teach you. If you're an Orlanthi but out performing some quest for an Ernalda temple, your reward might be specific spirit magic known to that Ernalda temple. Thus you can get an array of interesting and distinct spirit magic beyond what is taught by your cult. Yes. As noted RQG p.73: If your cult teaches spirit magic, choose 5 points of cult spirit magic. Typically that will be 2-4 spells. The spirit magic spells taught by the cult are listed. An initiate can start with spirit magic spells taught by an associated cult. Definitely draw on the associated cults if a player thinks those might better fit their character (and within context of the GM's game).

That type of relationship was always part of my old Imther Campaign as well - all villages had (and wanted to have) one local trickster. A pain in the ass of course, but their unpredictability always brought good luck along with the bad. What such villages did not want was more than one trickster - bad things happen when you get more than one and they don't like each other. And there was usually at least one trickster type among the PC's (Hysterious and Impetuous being the most notable two that were played).

I went through at one point comparing the two, and IIRC did find them consistent, but just geared in HQG to create characters with stronger associations with their cults/gods or spirit traditions.

RQ2 and a number of works from that vintage had lots of ideas of works that could be produced - most of which weren't - including a HeroQuest book. I did not find cyberpunk RQ (aka MRQ) on the whole to be useful. Just caused me to go "really?" (I did get most of the books, but Dara Happa Stirs is the only one that I ended up feeling worth the price, even of a pdf.) And I do think we've been getting the updates of what's in the pipeline, as well as the ETA's once they are ready with a given product. In the old RQ2/RQ3 days, we really had no insight into the pipeline or when anything would be released (beyond sporadic visits to the local game store to see if anything new had actually come out).

Yes, this was a conventional view, but it tended to drift away from the Bronze Age view (and by the time of the Genertela pack we got medieval knights in plate armor in the west) and bring in lots of Greco-Roman-Viking baggage (including making each of the cultures less unique and less original).

RQ2 p.64 in reference to a priest joining a second cult. But it's not elaborated in the same manner as what became the Acolyte in RQ3. Quite a few of my players ended with characters who were acolytes of their temples - it was a useful level.

The pdf of the old RQ2 version hopefully will be out in the not-too-distant future (part of the RQ Classics line). I agree these should be individual. I do like the armor gained from bathing in the dragon's blood (though whether permanent or not is another question - personally I like the idea that it flakes off if the person proves inimical to draconic ways). But I think there is a high risk of gaining a passion based on the dragon's passion (e.g. Greed, Lust, etc.).

Acolytes are RQ3, mid 80s. See Cults Book from Gods of Glorantha set.

Another possibility might be somewhere along the Manirian coast perhaps within the New Coast, or amid the Manirian or Wenelian Isles (i.e. part of the goddess Slonta from when she rolled over).

This image came up in my Windows feed today and it just screamed Glorantha. Coastal Esrolia, along the Mirrorsea seems most likely. Underwater rocks [from Tobermary, Ontario)

Mostly it would be as augments, but I'd also allow the hero to do things like the following: Water rune: find Oasis, find writher tracks, bargain with River Horse, collect dew, speak with fish, extinguish fires, etc. Illusion rune: shimmering defense, coupled with Water Rune - cast mirage, pleasing form or words, hide tattoos, etc. They could certainly create new breakouts from those other Runes, any of which might be magical in nature, possibly reflecting capabilities or talents gained from spirits they've worked with. Or they may reflect personality traits, items, associated beings, etc. For reference HQG p.46: "Players can give their heroes magical abilities. These can be described as spirit magic, Rune magic, sorcery, an allied spirit or magical being, a unique magical talent, or a magical item. Magical abilities can be breakout abilities from a Rune ... or they can be a standalone ability that starts at 13..." Note: while the shaman's tradition is associated with the Spirit Rune, and charms are either breakouts of that tradition/Spirit Rune or standalone, there is nothing that keeps you from establishing any other magical usage/breakout from your other Runes.

Yes, of course they do. All the great houses of Nochet, or any other city in Esrolia, can call upon generations of ancestors for advice (and many will come out of the Necropolis on Ancestor's Day too in order to visit their descendants and complain about the lack of attention their descendants are showing, etc. Such worship might be enfolded within a greater god, but more likely within worship of the wyter of the clan or household, if not an aspect of Daka Fal. Choose from the list of common spirit magic for their likely cult. I'd be more open in this regard figuring that they also worship the common gods of the community (initiated into Orlanth or Ernalda, for instance).

Focus on what you need to know for your character, and don't worry about trying to absorb it all or overcoming a "learning curve". Get the game basics down. But otherwise, you've got an occupation, you've got a deity you worship (or you follow a shamanic or sorcerous tradition), you've got some skills relevant to those, and you come from a homeland. The cultures are unique and they belong to the type of settings seen in ancient real-world epics. There are other intelligent creatures, and they have their own gods and agendas. And there are monstrous beings (e.g. True Dragons) and chaotic horrors in the world. If you're a GM, then you'll want to know some more, but even there I focus on the story/scenario being told, not trying to touch on every piece of Gloranthan lore. Hope that helps.

My players have been very economical and thoughtful in their use of Rune magic so far. But since some of them are of cults not necessarily in Clearwine, they have to think about where/how they can attend at least seasonal worship services to regain those. That they are able to apply their RP's to both their selected special Rune spells and all the common ones is nice - if you need Lightning, and you know it, it's available; you need to stop some ghosts, you can do so; you need to heal a wound quick, you can do so.

No, I can't say it inspires anything in my campaigns. I'm more interested in concepts like the Rattle-born in 11 Lights.

I had it in my Broken Tower game - and definitely benefited from its inclusion! That was a frustrating bit in old RQ2/RQ3 where even after you were initiated, it was difficult to get useful and evocative Rune magic.

Yes, though think there was a considerable debate on this in an old thread. But there is dead (in the Underworld but body and spirit still together), and there is dead (body and spirit separated with spirit on the road to the afterlife). The former includes any quest path into Hell (including the ones in SKoH to rescue Hofstaring and in Eleven Lights to recover the Three Stars), as well as entering Alkoth (I don't remember if it was Enclosure, or perhaps discussions surrounding material that went there, but there were some nice symbolic deaths to pass through the Alkothi gates).

Probably because "bad things happen" when you invest the "innocent" with magic. You might just find your village drawn into the Green Age - and you don't want your village drawn into the Green Age. However, that sounds like a great start to a scenario...

Clearly his kinsfolk had high hopes, and even blessed him with the name Minaryth. I'd just take it that he proved to have no aptitude, not even to be sent to Jonstown. But this otherwise provides no indication one way or another regarding actual practices.

I pronounce it as "h-SUN-chen" with the "h" sort of like "huh" - much like saying "Ge-SUND-heit".

Yes, now that you mention it. It's been around 30 years or so since I read the two books.

The quests through Hell and the dream world in Sandman are great sources to mine for ideas (and wonderful imagery of demons!).